Bullet-protecting screen.



1.5H. RITTER.

BULLIT PROTECTII-IG SCREEN.

. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, I9I4. LWHIL Patented Apr. 25,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I. H. RITTER.

BULLET PROTECTING SCREEN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, I9l`4.

Patented Apr. 25,19%.'

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JOI-IN H.A RITTER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

BULLET-PROTECTING sonnen.

' ing Screens, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto improvements 1n bullet prooiI screens and the object ot my improvement is to provide a screen or grating that may be used as a partition or guard-fence to protect cashiers in places that are subject to attack by robbers, as in banks, railroad ticket offices, and the like places where large amountsof money are handled and stored. f Y,

A i'urther object of my improvement is to provide in combination with such bullet proof guard-fence a section of bulletproof screen that is adapted to be raised'automatically to close an. opening as a cashiers window, when an attack by a robberfrom the outside is threatened, anda still further object of my improvement isy -to provide a screen that will act as a shield against bullets fired Jfrom the outside lbut which will permit bullets to pass through'it when fired yfrom the inside thereof to inflict damage to a person on the other side.

` I accomplish these objects by structures illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichy Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a'section of a bank counter to which my invention has been applied; Fig. 2 is a View in vertical section on broken line A, A of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section on broken line B, B of Fig. 2 showing a ver-r tically movable gate in a raisedposition; Flgs. l and 5 are .enlarged fragmentary views 1n cross-sect1on of details of myvin'- vention, and Fig. 6 is a vewin-cross-section illustrating a modifiedv form of mye invention.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts, 7 is a cashiers counter in a bank or office where money or other valuables are handled, and 8 is a screen-like gate for the window behind which the cashier stands to I. transact business with persons that approach such window from the outside. f

A guard-fence or screen is constructed o Specification of Letters Patent.

" with each other and secured at fixed distancet'from each other by shafts or bolts 10 and spacing washers 11, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, such bars 9 being disposed, when secured together, to present their edges inwardly and outwardly and being sutilciently close one to another that a bullet upon striking the edges of the bars 9- on the outside of Such screen will be entirely stopped or will be checked to such an extent that if any portion of it passes through such screen between adjacent bars then the force of such portion will be so nearlyspent that it can inflict no serious injury to a person standing behind such screen. The screen formed of thebars 9 extends upwardly from the front edge of the counter 7 while the opening through which business is to be transacted is provided with a normally closed grate-like gate of a well known form embodying vertical bars 8 andI on each side of such opening I have constructed a guard fence 12 disposed' to extend rearwardly from, and at right angles to, the plane of said screen and like said screen such guard.

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Application filed August 15, 1914. Serial No'. 856,912. I

from the outside from reaching to gain acl cess to money or other valuables placed on the counter 7 on either side of the space through which business is transacted.

For the purpose of preventing bullets from passing through' the grating formed by the bars 8 I have provided a vertically movable'screen-gate 13 that is constructed of bars like bars 9'and which is adapted to be automatically raised by a weight 14 when such screen-gate 13 is released, the weight 14 being connected with the screen-gate 13 `by a cable 15 that passes over a pulley 16 and-such screen-gate 13 being adapted to be locked in its lowered position by a hook 17 that is provided 4on the end of a fulcrumed foot trip lever 18 which trip lever is adapted tobe acted on by a compression spring 19 to keep the hook 17 in engagement with the screen-gate 13 and such trip lever 18 1s provided on its inner end with an arm 20 that may engage the under surface .ofthe lower edge of the screensgate 13 and 1s thus adapted to give such screen-gate 13 an upward thrust when the outerend of the foot trip lever 18 is pressed downwardly to re-- lease the screen-gate 13vto cause 1t to move quickly in an emergency.4

The screen-gate 13 preferably 1s pron vided with a channel shaped frame 21 that extends aroundsuch grating to strengthen it and on its top edge is a -ledge 22 that isa'dapted to form a part of the counter 7 when said screen-gate 13 is in its lowest normal position. l

To' prevent the sereengate 13 from being moved downwardly by a' person in front of the counter 7, lvhave provided a hook 23- that is adapted to engage with the bottom 1 edge of such screen-gate to lock it in' its raised position, such hook being formed integral with a fulcrumed lever arm 24 that is pressed by a compressionspring 2,5 which insures the operation of the hook 23 which may be movedv to withdraw the hook 23A fromengagement with the bottom edge of the screen-gate 1'3 when a person behind the counter 7 desires to ,lower such screengate13.` y

The bars 9 may be disposed in any desired position wherein they will present their edges substantially toward the front, -I as, for instance, they may loe-placed 1ny an. gular positions, as illustrated in the screengate 1,3 shown in crosssection in Figs. 3

and 5, whereby any'part of a bullet .that

breaks or splits'ot and passesbetween adjacent ba-rs 9 may be so deflected, as indi.

cated by brokenV lines in Fig. 3, that it will not -hit a person who stands behind suchv screen-gate 13." I l l It has been! found by experiment'that, where the bars 9v aredispose'd parallell wlth each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and where the spaces between suchbars are substantially' narrower than the smallest diameter of bullets in common ilse, then such bullets when flicting serious damage.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a` modified. form ot construction ot gratigfwherein I` have provided wedge shaped bars 426 that are secured in close proXlmity to each otner 4 in. -such manner that such bars present their flat surface on one side ofthe screen-gate.

^ and their apices on theother side of such screen whereby bulletsthat are, fired against such grating lfrom Aone side will 4strike j.

' outside lof said screen.

bars 26 and have their momentum destroyed by vsuch bars 26 while bullets that are fired against such screen from the opposite side will readily force their way between the bars 26 .with sufficient force to'inlict some damage to objects on the other side; they will strike upon the apices of Such bars and withlittle resistance be split, the separate portions of such bulletspassing through `the screen with sufficient force' to inflict damage. V

Obviously a grating constructed in ac- .cordance with the principles lQuereinset forth Vmay be used 1n many places aside from banks and railroad ofiiees and many changes in the details of construction yof the gratings and disposition of the-bars embodied therein may b'e ,resorted to without departing A,against the Hat surfacesof the edges of the u from the'spirit of my invention or sacrifie' inv any of its advantages.

Vhat I claim-is:.- 1. In combination with a frame, a guard screen formed of if'ertical'ly disposedspaced l metal barsvrectangular in cross section and secured. within the screen," one-halt' of the bars being inclined inl'one direction'and the vremaining half of the bars being inclined in the opposite direction whereby the axial planes'of'the bars form aA series of dihedral angles. with their lines `of intersection on the 2. In combination with a frame, a guard screen formed :of vertically disposed spaced metal bars rectangular. in cross section and secured Withln` the screen, one-half of the bars being inclinedin-one direction and the remaining'halfof the bars being inclined in the oppositey direction 'whereby the axial planes of thebars form a series of dihedral angles with their lines of intersection on the outside of said screen', the outer portions of the vbars of each half of the screen' overlapping the inner portions of the next adjacent bars whereby to cover and protect the entire'space behind the screen., l

In witness whereof. I, hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day of July, A. D., 1914.

-' 4' JOHN H. RITTER.

Witnesses:

FRANK WARREN, A. HAsKINs. 

